You're My Parachute
by AuthorSwimmerPoet
Summary: A sort of stylized songfic, based on Forever and Always by the band Parachute
1. Verse 1

I drum my fingers nervously on the table. Otani-kun has been gone for much too long. He should have been home from work ages ago. I can't understand why he's been gone so long, and why he isn't answering his phone. I want him to call, just to hear his voice. Just to know that he's alive.

My phone startles me as the familiar Umibouzu ringtone starts to play. Getting over my initial surprise I flip the phone open and lifted it to my ear. "Hello?" I ask tentatively, hoping to Otani's voice on the other end.

"Risa!" Nobu's voice shouts out of the phone, she sounds frantic.

"Nobu," Her name pops out of my mouth in surprise.

But I doubt she hears it, because she's already loudly rambling in the same frantic tone. "Darling, oh Darling – Risa, you've got to come, Darling and Otani-kun...oh Darling..."

"Nobu, what's going on?" I demand puzzled but rising to my feet sensing the urgency of the situation. I rush to the door, where my jacket is hanging, and slip it on while attempting to make sense of Nobu's noise.

"Oh Darling, Darling," She keeps muttering as if that will somehow fix everything.

"Nobu," I try to cut through her outpouring of words, "At least tell me where you are, so I can get there, and not stand around my apartment uselessly."

Suddenly the line is quiet, Nobu is abruptly alert. "Come to the hospital dear, there's been an accident, Darling and Otani were there."

My blood ran chill. The hand holding my phone begins to tremble. "I'll be there soon Nobu."

Terror races through me as I race towards the hospital. As my feet pound against the pavement, our wedding vows echo through my mind. _I want you forever, forever and always, through the good and the bad and the ugly. We'll grow old together. Forever and always._


	2. Verse 2

My pulse pounds as I stand before the hospital entrance, attempting to catch my breath. I hate that I am so out of shape that I am stopping here. I'm almost inside, almost to Nobu and whatever happened with Otani and Heikichi.

Scrambling for a few more breaths, I fish my phone out of my pocket. Quickly I dial Nobu's number.

She picks up almost as soon as the phone begins to ring. "Are you here yet?"

"Just about, where are you?"

"Go to the front desk," she instructs, "they'll be able to tell you where to go better than I can."

I sigh, frustrated by Nobu's lack of usefulness, "Alright fine, I'll see you soon." Feeling mostly recovered, I jog into the hospital.

I see a tired nurse sitting behind a large white desk; I make my way quickly towards her.

She glances up at me, blinking away her tiredness, "Can I help you?"

I nod feeling frantic. "My husband's here."

She stares at me blankly for a moment, before finally pulling herself together enough to ask, "Name?"

"Otani Atsushi." I respond rather breathlessly.

Her attention shifts to the computer in front of her. She taps almost lazily at the keys. After a moment her eyes flick from screen, scan the length of my height and then switch back to studying the screen. "Right, the short one." She mutters in a tone that's almost inaudible.

I direct a glare at her for that, but she doesn't seem to notice, too busy tapping away at the keyboard. Deciding that Otani must be defended, I lean against the counter, putting my face as close to hers as I can manage.

She blinks up at me in surprise. "He's my husband." I state simply. "Don't talk about him in that condescending tone."

Her mouth opens to stutter out some sort of apologize.

I cut her off. "Just tell me where he is."

She nods and points down the hall, "Room 153, if you go down that way and turn left, it's at the very end."

I nod approvingly. "Thank you." I stalk down the hallway, terrified that I will be too late for Otani, despite not knowing what had happened to him. Nervously I tap on the door.

"Risa!" Nobu calls in a high-pitched squeal.

I swing the door open, surprised to see that Otani sitting off to the side, his arm bound up in a sling; Heikichi is the only looking truly injured, lying, pale and unconscious in the only bed the room contains.

Nobu tackles me suddenly sobbing. "Darling!" She wails. "Darling!"

Unsure of how to handle this, I raise an uncertain to begin stroking her hair. "It's going to be alright Nobu-chan." I attempt to comfort, not having a clue what other phrases might be safe to say.

Otani looks at me tiredly and smiles at my awkward attempts to calm my friend. "You're doing better than I have all day."

"You've been here all day and didn't think to call me?" I practically explode, which causes Nobu to scurry away from me. Tentatively she goes and sits at her darling's side, taking his hand and stroking it with her.

"Darling," The affection nickname slips from her lips like a whimper.

I instantly regret the outburst if only for Nobu's sake.

Otani grins at me sheepishly. "My phone died, and I couldn't borrow Nobu's you have an idea of how she's been all day. I could hardly just leave her alone in that kind of state, even just to borrow a payphone for a few minutes."

I am a bit surprised that Otani didn't have some sort of outburst back at me, that would have been a more typical reaction, but he looks completely exhausted, so maybe that's why he's not in his usual fighting spirit.

"What happened?"

"An accident." Is apparently all the explanation Otani wants to give.

Abruptly I become aware of Nobu whispering to her fallen dear one, "Nakao, Darling," She sounds almost as if she is begging. "You have to come back to me, remember, we were going to have kids, to own a home, have pets, grow old together." Tears interrupt before Nobu can rattle off anymore of the couple's dreams.

I ache for her. I at least have a conscious companion, and his promise of forever. Nobu hs to face a potentially silent love, I can only imagine how much that would hurt.

_Forever and always._ I think and go to take my Otani's uninjured hand. We ill all keep vigil over Heikichi, in the hopes that he will soon awaken.


	3. Bridge

"Otani," I whisper into the darkness. It's late and Nobu has long since fallen asleep half draped across Heikichi, but I suspect Otani at least might be awake.

He grunts at me, about the most coherent response I can expect when he has been dozing off.

I nudge him, trying to wake him up a bit more. "Otani," I repeat.

"Koizumi," He murmurs disgruntledly.

I laugh softly. "Not anymore, remember Otani?"

His eyes finally flutter open, an action I can hardly make out in the darkness. "What do you want Koizumi?" He asks repeating my old name, either out of tiredness or to be annoying.

I decide this late at night, it's simply easier to pretend he's called me by a different name. "Do you remember?"

"Remember what?" He asks grumpily.

I grin at him in the darkness. "Our wedding."

He stares at me, "Why would I be remembering that right now?" He asks sounding completely bewildered.

"Don't you remember how we almost had it in a hospital?"

I hear rather than see him shaking his head, but it seems more of a denial than that he's forgotten as he says, "I had a basketball championship, I couldn't do anything but go all out."

"You almost completely broke yourself, but I didn't want to wait for you to get better. Postponing the wedding just wasn't an option."

He interjects, sounding almost offended, "I didn't want to wait either. We'd already waited a long time for that wedding."

I begin to chuckle, "Can you imagine what it would have been like to get married in a hospital."

He begins to snort with laughter. "It would have been so ridiculous." Abruptly his laughter cuts off, "But if we'd had to, it would have been worth it."

I squeeze him tightly. "Definitely."


	4. ChorusVerse 3

Sunlight startles us awake the next morning. Nobu yawns loudly across the room, and begins shaking Heikichi, "Darling," She chants softly, "Darling." She seems to have forgotten why exactly he's lying there so motionless.

I stand and go to her, putting a hand on Nobu's shoulder.

At the touch she seems to recall everything that's going on, whips around wraps herself tightly around me, "I just want my darling to be alright!" She wails into my shirt. "How are we supposed to fulfill our dreams and grow old together amongst them if he's like this. I love him, even like this, I love him, but I want him the way he was."

Awkwardly I try to think of an appropriate and hopefully comforting response, but my mind is staying infuriatingly blank.

"Tell him," Otani pipes up suddenly.

"What?" Nobu sniffles, peeking out from my shirt.

Otani stands up by the side of the bed. "Tell him; I've heard that people...in his situation can still hear the things you tell them, even if it doesn't seem like it." I stare in surprise at Otani, normally he doesn't think of such romantic things. He's usually much too oblivious to even consider that sort of thing.

Nobu nods determinedly and lets go of me. She clasps Heikichi's hand tightly. "Darling," She whispers leaning close to his ear. "Come back to me Darling, we have so many things left to do, a house to own, children to raise, love to give to each other." She tugs on his hand, bouncing a little. "Come back to me Darling!" She collapses over his chest sobbing.

My heart aches and I wish there is some way that I can help Nobu through this, but I know that the only thing that will really make it better is if Heikichi wakes up.

Abruptly the beeps on the monitor seem to change. Otani and I stare at the monitor and even Nobu lifts her head in surprise. Moments later a soft groan is emitted and floats through the room.

"Darling!" Nobu shrieks excitedly, wrapping her arms tightly around Heikichi's chest.

He groans again, but now his eyes flutter open and a smile flits across his chest. "Nobu," He whispers. His hand lifts slowly and weakly ruffles her hair.

"Darling," She repeats, too happy to do much else but cling to him tightly.

"I heard you. It woke me up." He whispers almost hoarsely. "But just remember, I'll always love you, forever and always."

"Oh Darling!" Nobu gushed.


End file.
